


She Was Found

by OrdinaryVegan



Series: Piper Minyard-Josten: kid au [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Just Roll With It, M/M, Post-Canon, Tumblr Prompt, andreil as parents, but i tried, likely inaccurate portrayal of adoption, more soft andreil, mostly fluff once again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10105076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrdinaryVegan/pseuds/OrdinaryVegan
Summary: "We've been over this and over this. We have looked at it from every possible angle. We agreed on this, that this is what we both want. You agreed to get over your daddy issues, and I agreed to actively ignore every parenting example I've ever had. Right?"Neil nods his head once with a little too much force to be convincing. "Right.""Okay," Andrew says, not really sure if it was loud enough for Neil to hear. He tightens his hand on Neil's neck, pulling him closer until their foreheads are touching. Neil's hand has made it up to hang off of his bicep, gripping like it's the only thing keeping him on the ground. Andrew fights to keep his voice as even as possible. "Neil. You have to tell me that you're in this all the way. This is permanent. Once we sign those papers, she is ours. Forever. I refuse to send her away. I will not be like them,” he says, fiercely. “Do you want this?"AKA Piper: The Prequel





	

**Author's Note:**

> prompt by anon: Pls give us "Piper: the origin story". I want to know how this loving family came together!!

"Are we really doing this?"

Andrew does not reply. He looks up slowly from where he has been studying the floor. He turns to his left, observing Neil on the chair beside him. Andrew takes him in: the way Neil is biting his lip, the way his knee is bouncing uncontrollably, the way his arms are crossed so tightly over his chest that Andrew is surprised air can make it into his lungs. Maybe it can't. 

"I mean—are you sure? Are _we_ sure? Is this really a good idea? I mean, what if—"

Neil abruptly cuts off when Andrew's left hand clamps down on his knee, bringing its movement to a halt. His wrist protests the slightest bit, a reminder of why he will never again guard a goal. He brushes the thought away, more important matters at hand. They've been having the same conversation for months. Andrew has been asking himself these questions for even longer. The more final this became, the more he could feel the dregs of fear crawling their way up the back of his throat. But that doesn't matter. He will push them aside; he will jump. He knows what his answer is.

Andrew looks back to Neil's face, and he can practically see the gears turning as thinks himself into a hole. Nothing new there.

Andrew removes his hand from Neil's knee in favor of wrapping it around the back of his neck.

"Look at me," he says, leaving no room for argument.

Neil does, blue meeting gold, flight meeting fight.

"We've been over this and over this. We have looked at it from every possible angle. We agreed on this, that this is what we both want. You agreed to get over your daddy issues, and I agreed to actively ignore every parenting example I've ever had. Right?"

Neil nods his head once with a little too much force to be convincing. "Right."

"Okay," Andrew says, not really sure if it was loud enough for Neil to hear. He tightens his hand on Neil's neck, pulling him closer until their foreheads are touching. Neil's hand has made it up to hang off of his bicep, gripping like it's the only thing keeping him on the ground. Andrew fights to keep his voice as even as possible. "Neil. You have to tell me that you're in this all the way. This is permanent. Once we sign those papers, she is ours. Forever. I refuse to send her away. I will not be like them,” he says, fiercely. “Do you want this?"

"I do, I'm just—," Neil stops. Lets out a shuddering breath and seems to be attempting to pull himself together. "I know I want this. I know _we_ want this, but God there is so much that could go wrong. What if," he lets out a short laugh, a sound somewhere between amused and self-deprecating, "what if she doesn't even like us?"

"Us?” Andrew says with faux annoyance. “Speak for yourself. Kids love me."

Neil rolls his eyes, but Andrew knows he’s hit his target. Neil seems to have come back to himself now, his grip on Andrew's arm lighter, a comfort instead of a lifeline. Andrew gives himself a minute to let the relief wash over him. 

His voice turns more serious. "Are we doing this, Neil? Yes or no?"

Neil smiles. Small, but there. "Yes. We're doing this." 

Andrew tilts his head until their noses are touching, and he feels Neil's breath on his lips for all of two seconds before Neil closes the gap. By the time they pull away, Neil's smile has increased exponentially in size.

They are extracting their limbs from one another when the door to the small office they've been waiting in opens. A woman in an official-looking blazer walks in carrying a large folder, closing the door behind her.

"Gentlemen," she says, moving to shake each of their hands in turn. "It's nice to see you again."

"Ms. Jimenez," Neil returns. 

She moves to sit behind the desk. Opens the folder and begins removing dozens of papers, placing them into neat stacks. 

"Now," she says, the authority in her voice unmistakable. "You of course know the child's circumstances, but I am obligated to discuss them with you again, one final time." She looks to them for confirmation.

They both nod, Andrew clenching his jaw all the while. They have no choice, but he wishes that he didn't have to hear this again. Revenge is petty, Andrew knows this. But that doesn't mean he can stop the impulse to reach for the nearest knife.

"As you know," Ms. Jimenez begins, "Piper's parents were both killed in a home invasion ten months ago. It appears to have been a robbery gone wrong. Piper found them the following morning and called for help. She is remarkably intelligent for a five-year-old," she pauses to give them a tight smile. 

Andrew glances over to Neil, notes the determined set of his jaw. _Finally_ , Andrew thinks. He knows Neil would never back down from a challenge, but this is different. It isn't about them anymore. Neil catches him staring, no doubt sensing Andrew's tension. He silently offers Andrew his hand. Andrew takes it.

Ms. Jimenez continues. "She has been recovering well, all things considered. She is rather reserved, but I really think with some one-on-one attention, she'll move past it. If you manage to find something she's interested in, she'll talk for hours." She smiles again, this one much more genuine and full of fondness. "She has the occasional nightmare, but that is to be expected. She rarely talks about her parents, but that may change. Only time will tell." 

Andrew isn't interested in her platitudes, but it seems she has finally reached the conclusion of her speech. She retrieves two pens from her desk drawer. Holds them out to Neil and Andrew. 

The two look at each other for a moment before Neil nods. Andrew nods back and untangles their hands. They take the pens and get to work, signing and initialing on what must be several hundred dotted lines.

Once they're done, Ms. Jimenez sorts through the papers, making sure that every signature is accounted for. After several minutes, she finally looks satisfied. Returns the papers to the folder and files them away in the cabinet behind her.

She turns around and clasps her hands on the table. "Well. Let's go get your daughter, shall we?"

Neil lets out a small laugh, his voice colored with disbelief and a tiny bit of awe. For the first time, Andrew decides that he doesn't hate his eidetic memory, as long as he never forgets that sound.

She leads them out of the office and down a long hallway, the sounds of voices getting louder as they go. She stops at a door that is already open and steps back, gesturing at them expectantly. Andrew turns to Neil, who looks a little like he may have forgotten how to move. 

Andrew goes to stand in front of him, grabbing his chin and forcing him to meet his gaze. Neil searches his face for an indeterminable amount of time before nodding to himself and breaking out of Andrew's hold. He leads the way into the room with Andrew right on his heels.

They stop just inside the doorway. Andrew scans the room full of children involved in various activities until he finds her. She is sitting on a bench in the corner of the room, nose buried in a book. Her skin is a rich brown, her small features delicate, but the intense expression on her face as her eyes dart across the page speaks of a mind that is anything but. 

Andrew realizes at that moment that he is about to fall for the second time. For a man afraid of heights, this should terrify him. It doesn't.

He looks over to Neil, who is just as caught up as he is. He gets his attention and jerks his head in Piper's general direction. They begin to make their way to her corner. Neil stops a few paces away, but Andrew continues until he is standing right in front of her.

"Hello, Piper," Andrew says as he crouches down at her side.

She looks up, eyes narrowing as she takes him in. "Hi," she says, cautious.

"Do you remember me?" 

"Yes. Andrew Minyard-Josten," she says. "You came back."

A pain sweeps through his chest, so sharp he almost looks down for the blade that must be visible. "Yeah," he says instead. "I told you I would. And I always keep my promises."

She looks skeptical, and he can't blame her.

"It's true," comes a voice from behind him. Neil has stepped closer and is now sitting down on the other side of Piper's bench. 

"Okay," she says, still sounding unconvinced. Andrew isn't worried, though. He will prove it to her, eventually.

"Why are you here?" She asks, getting straight to the point. Smart kid.

Andrew looks to Neil who takes a deep breath and turns to face Piper. "Well. We were wondering if you might want to come stay with us. Forever."

She stares at Neil blankly, narrowing her eyes again. Looks from him, to Andrew, back again. It's obvious that she has been let down before.

"Forever? You mean it?” She asks, the stubborn set to her jaw still implying that she doesn't quite believe them.

Neil nods, eyes flicking to Andrew before settling back on Piper.

"Yeah. We mean it."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you thank you for reading! i am extremely grateful for each of your beautiful faces. title is a play on Nora's "he was lost, he was lost, he was found" line from her extra content. kills me EVERY TIME.
> 
> i'm considering making this into a series. mainly because i'm interested to see how already sassy Piper turns out after being raised by Neil "Clapback Master" Josten.
> 
> come scream with me on tumblr @theordinaryvegan


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